Constraining an AI Video Generator Through Progressive Decision Reduction

Do not use prose as the sole control surface for a multi-shot AI video sequence.

A short AI-generated sequence should generally contain no more than four legible shots.

Each shot should carry one primary visible beat.

Camera direction and subject direction should be specified as separate decisions.

Direct visible behavior instead of asking the generator to infer performance from internal emotion.

Every visible subject should have a concrete visual objective.

Replace ambiguous narrative directions with visible geometry.

Use reference images to hold stable visual facts outside the prompt.

Let images define stable nouns and prompts define the remaining verbs.

Reduce the prompt after stable visual decisions have been moved into other artifacts.

Choose reference frames that already support the intended motion.

Change one primary variable at a time so production experiments can become evidence.

Treat content moderation as an opaque system boundary rather than a debate to win inside the prompt.

Build reusable visual assets instead of asking the generator to recreate settled work.

Separate asset creation from scene direction.

Optimize the system for repeatable production rather than isolated successful clips.

Record reusable production principles rather than preserving exact prompts as the public knowledge artifact.

Preserve human judgment as the governing boundary throughout the production pipeline.